Bids top $37,000 for motorized La-Z-Boy

Star Tribune

Last update: October 30, 2009 - 11:38 PM

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The motorized La-Z-Boy chair that police in Proctor, Minn., confiscated from a man who drove it while drunk is drawing scores of bids on eBay.

The top offer as of 9:30 p.m. Friday was $37,100 for what police describe on the auction website as "the world famous DWI Motorized La-Z-Boy style Chair. ... This is a great parade vehicle or a terrific business draw. Be the only one in town with a unique vehicle like this."

Dennis LeRoy Anderson, 61, of Proctor, pleaded guilty Oct. 19 to hopping on the chair the night of Aug. 31, 2008, after visiting a bar in town, then crashing into a car in the parking lot. Anderson's blood-alcohol content was 0.29 percent, more than three times the legal limit for driving in Minnesota.

The chair runs on a converted gasoline-powered lawnmower engine and has a steering wheel, headlights, rear roll bars, a power antenna, stereo and cup holders. It can top out at 15 to 20 miles per hour. Stickers on the back include a National Hot Rod Association logo and one that reads, "Hell yeah it's fast."

Anderson was sentenced to 180 days in the St. Louis County jail or at the Northeast Regional Corrections Center and was fined $2,000. The jail time and half of the fine were stayed for two years of supervised probation with conditions that include a chemical dependency assessment, random testing and 30 days of electronic monitoring.

Bidding on the chair ends Tuesday night. Someone asked police through eBay whether the eventual buyer can return the chair to Anderson. "There is nothing barring a third party from returning it to the original owner or builder," police responded.

PAUL WALSH

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